Waking Up With Headache? Here Are The Home Remedies To Get Relief

No one wishes to wake up to an early morning pulsating headache; that’s not the idea of a Good Morning. Some of the morning headaches are pretty intense, and they strike in the wee hours of the morning (even when you are asleep). No wonder, some of us wake up feeling lethargic and tired.

So let’s take a look at some of the causes of morning headaches, and why they happen. We shall also talk about the home remedies to use, prevention and tips too. Read on and be well-informed!

Why Your Waking Up with Headache

It is a fact that headaches and sleep go hand-in-hand, and somewhat happen in the same zones of the brain that too.. All hope isn’t lost though. If you learn the right ways to sleep; your posture especially, the migraines and morning headaches would come down drastically. Other causes for the same are-

1. Insomnia

If you sleep too little, chances are the next morning you will wake up with a headache. Turning and tossing on bed, being awake quite late or waking up constantly in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning would be signs of insomnia- a chief reason why we wake up with morning headaches, as the brain is left overworked.

2. Snoring

Snoring could also be one of the reasons why you may wake up tired and with a morning headache too, says science. It is a risk factor for most chronic headaches.

3. Grinding teeth

Bruxism or grinding teeth or even clenching your jaw at night while you sleep, would be reasons enough for you to wake up the next morning with a headache. These are symptoms of stress. Focus on yoga, meditation, exercises and deep breathing to help improve the quality of your sleep and to do away with teeth grinding too, say experts.

4. Using the wrong pillow

Yes, the wrong pillow is what makes you wake up with the morning headache. What happens is when you sleep on the wrong pillow, you would be straining the neck and the scalp muscles- as they are in the same position for a long time.

5. Serious diseases

Serious diseases may cause early morning awakening headaches. These diseases may include brain tumors, sleep apnea, and severe high blood pressure.

Now that we know about some of the causes for headaches when you wake up in the morning, let’s take a look at the home remedies for the same.

Home Remedies for Morning Headache

Icy Pack

What all you need:

Cubes of ice

A clean thin towel

Directions:

In a towel place as many ice cubes as possible and fold them to form a compress.

Place the cold pack on the temples and the forehead, and then gradually on the posterior and the neck.

Dab and gently rub the area for as long as you want.

Repeat as many times as you like.

How it works:

When you place an icy pack on the forehead or the temples, the pain is numbed.

This also helps with the shrinking of the blood vessels and the circulation in the area is improved as well.

This is a remedy that works wonders and brings in the much needed relief for sinuses, migraines, morning headaches and stress.

Lemon

What all you need:

A whole lime

A cup of Warm water

Directions:

In a cup of warm water, cut a lime and squeeze the concentrated juice into it.

Drink it sip by sip and relax.

Thrice a day is more than enough.

How it works:

Lemon juice when drunk warm also can help relax the nerves and soothes the headache pangs too.

In addition to that, lemons help balance the body’s alkaline-acidic content, and ease the gas congestion in the stomach.

Betel Leaves

What all you need:

A couple of betel leaves

Mortar and a pestle

Directions:

Start by crushing fresh betel leaves in a mortar and a pestle to form a paste.

Apply the paste on the temples and the forehead and wait for half an hour.

You may also add a pinch of camphor oil to the paste for healing needs.

Wash off with cold water and relax

How it works:

Betel leaves for long have cooling and analgesic properties, and when applied on to the affected parts of the head and the neck, can bring down the intensity of the headache.

Source: manoramaonline.com

Ginger

What all you need:

A few pieces of ginger

Directions:

Crush and chop up the few pieces of ginger you have in a bowl.

Apply the paste or the coarse ginger pieces onto the forehead and the temples.

Wait for ten minutes and allow the aroma to be sniffed.

Wash off with cold water.

How it works:

Ginger is an anti-inflammatory herb and a pain killer par excellence. The ginger paste should be freshly made and used, or else it isn’t potent.

Source: hergamut.com

Cayenne Pepper

What all you need:

A tsp of cayenne pepper powder

Warm water

Honey

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all the three ingredients while the water is still steamy and cover the bowl.

Wait for ten minutes for the ingredients to settle.

Strain the water and then sip it slowly when warm.

Thrice a day this should be done.

How it works:

There is an active ingredient in cayenne pepper which is known as capsaicin. Capsaicin is known to help bring down the pains associated with headaches, and reduces the substance P- substance. P is a neurotransmitter of pains to the brain.

Source: mrhealthyspirit.net

Almonds

What all you need:

A few pods of almonds soaked overnight

Directions:

Eat a palm full of almonds that have been pre-soaked each morning as soon as you wake up.

This helps prevent the occurrence of morning headaches.

How it works:

Vitamin E is found in abundance in almonds, and it is a vasodilator. The presence of this helps with the widening of blood vessels, and thinning of blood. When the blood is thinned well, it moves around much more easily than what it was before. This helps unblock the tension and release the pains. In addition to that, almonds can help bring down inflammation around the muscles tissues, and the temple and the back of the neck too.

Peppermint

What all you need:

3 drops of peppermint essential oil

1 tbsp of water

Bowl or cup to mix them in

Cotton ball or cloth to apply it to your forehead

Directions:

Begin by adding all the water and the oils in a bowl.

Now take a cotton ball and dip it into the mixture.

Dab the cotton ball along the hairline and the temples.

Repeat four to five times.

How it works:

What happens is that the peppermint oil has menthol in it. This is the main active ingredient that helps bring down the intensity of headaches and migraines.

Source: zliving.com

Cinnamon

What all you need:

A teaspoon of cinnamon powder

Half a cup of hot milk

Honey

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the milk which is hot and the honey.

Give it a good mix until the honey dissolves.

Now add the cinnamon powder to the mixture and let it settle for a minute.

Drink it sip by sip every three to four hours

How it works:

Cinnamon is an analgesic and has oil in it which soothes the nerves and calms the tension headaches around the neck and the scalp.

Eucalyptus Oil

What all you need:

A few drops of eucalyptus oil

Cotton balls

Water

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix the oil and the water.

Dip into this the cotton ball and gently squeeze it.

Dab the damp cotton ball onto the forehead, the temples and the neck and scalp.

Keep doing this for ten minutes and then repeat as many times as you like.

How it works:

Eucalyptus oil helps open up the nasal tract. It also helps clear the sinus tract and brings relief from the sinus tension too- cause of the headache.

You may also add a drop of peppermint oil to the eucalyptus oil if you want, which brings in more relaxation and respite to the muscles and the strained areas.

Source: healthline.com

Hot Water

What all you need:

A tub of hot water

Directions:

Pour a bucket of hot water into a tub.

Place your feet in it and allow it to soak for as much as you want.

Remove and pat dry your feet.

Repeat when necessary.

How it works:

When you soak your feet into hot water, the blood is drawn to the feet. This is called the hot water footbath. Such baths help ease the pressure on the blood vessels roaming around in the head.

Source: wordpress

Eat

What all you need:

Foods rich in magnesium

Foods rich in vitamin E

Directions:

Sometimes when you don’t eat well, the stomach forms gas and this can cause headaches. Your diet should include a high dose of magnesium and vitamin E though, which can help bring down the pains.

How it works:

Eat slowly to ease the pressure on the blood vessels and eat at the same time every day.

Don’t skip your meals, or else there would be gas formation in the stomach that would lead to headaches.

Stay Hydrated

What all you need:

Eight glasses of water per day

Directions:

At every hour, you should be drinking enough water to stay hydrated. If you do not drink enough water, you would be dehydrated, thus one of the major causes of headaches.

How it works:

For long, water has been used as a treatment to cure headaches. If you have tension headaches in the morning, it could be because of bad sleeping habits and fatigue. The latter is a sign of dehydration. You can start by treating fatigue by drinking a lot of water each day as soon as you wake up.

Take a Cold Shower

What you need:

A cold relaxing shower

Directions:

Stand under the shower and allow the cold water to wet every inch of your head and the body.

How it works:

With a cold shower, the pores are closed and the nervous system is stimulated. It also helps constrict blood vessels and stimulates the nerves of the brain and the spine, say medical science. You then have perfect body metabolism and the immune system is left for you to enjoy.

Source: thethirdcity.org

Improve Sleep Posture

What you need:

Good night’s sleep with the right posture

Directions:

When sleeping, just be sure that the neck isn’t twisted to one side of the pillow.

Don’t sleep in the foetus position with the neck tucked into the chest as well.

The neck should be in a stand up ceiling faced position, which is a neutral position to sleep in.

How it works:

Sleeping in a neutral position doesn’t add more tension and stress to the neck and the muscles around the back of the neck and the temples. Choose the right pillow to sleep – not too fluffy and not too hard!

Exercise

What you need:

Time to yourself- 30 minutes

Directions:

Deep breathing can help transport more oxygen to the brain which can bring down morning headaches. Guided imagery with soft music can be a good form of mental exercise to use, and it also helps relax the muscles too. Do yoga and walk for thirty minutes each day.

How it works:

When there is enough circulation in the body, the mind is at ease and stress is lowered. This helps ease the nerves and the muscles, which in turn prevents headaches from happening.

Here were the best home remedies to help prevent and deal with morning headaches. But there are times when none of these may work. This is when seeking medical attention would be important. Here is when to seek for doctors help!

When to Seek for Medical Help?

If the headaches just don’t go or last for more than three days, it is time for you to ring the alarm bells and call for the doctor. Here are instances when seeking medical help would be necessary-

If it is happening more than three to four times in a week

If the headaches are severe and come in an instant

If you feel flustered and confused when you get headaches

If you feel dizzy when you have a headache

If you feel feverish when you have morning headaches

If you feel numbness around any part of the body when you have a headache

If you feel like puking or nauseatic when you have headaches

If you have shortness of breath when headaches happen

If you have problems speaking when a headache happens or slurred speech

If your neck turns stiff when there is a headache

If the eyes swell up with water and fluids or the nose runs when a headache happens

If you have headaches accompanied with diarrhea

If you feel blackouts and vision loss

If you feel weak

If you cough or sneeze and it causes a headache

Now that you know when to check with the doctor to see if it is a sign of danger with such headaches, here are preventions and tips to manage the same.

Prevention and Tips

Worth a shot we say! Here are a few pointers on how to bring down the frequency and intensity of headaches.

Check the foods you eat

There are many foods that act as triggers, so keeping a journal on what you eat and when the headache strikes can help you pin point exactly the culprit that causes the headache. For example, some of the foods that can cause headaches are processed meats, smoked meats, dairy produce, cheese, nitrate foods, MSGs and artificial sweeteners, canned foods, additives, red wine, pickles and cold foods too. Common allergens from foods would include soy and wheat, corn and peanuts, shellfish as well.

Limit the alcohol intake

Moderation is the key here, and you need to cut down on alcohol intake if you wish to stay hydrated. Alcohol dehydrates the nerves and the body at large, and this leads to fatigue. Fatigue leads to morning headaches in most cases.

Other suggestions

Have green smoothies for breakfast

Engage in meditation

Reduce the consumption of coffee and caffeine intake

Cut down and stop smoking

Foods with omega 3 and magnesium should be eaten

Stay away from chemical room fresheners

Keep a journal for headache triggers

Use a humidifier in cold weather

Sniff essential oils like lavender or rosemary

Drink ginger tea

Have pumpkin seeds

Get a neck massage once in a while

Lie down in a dark room

Meditate

Pet your dog or cat!

We hope this mini guide on how to deal with morning headaches comes in handy.

Source: inhs1.com

Disclaimer: There could be various reasons as to why you could be having morning headaches and some of the home remedies here may or may not suit you. This is why, we would ask you to first check with your doctor and then use any of the information given here. This is a post for informational use only, your doctors words would take precedence over what is written here. At no cost shall what is written here be considered as an alternative to the medication and advise given by a specialist.